Shaun and Lauren Adams created the Seventy Nine Club back in 2021, following the birth of their twin daughters who were born prematurely and spent time in neonatal care. After receiving the devastating news that one of their girls needed open heart surgery, they found strength in community and positivity.
Now in its 4th year, the challenge was born out of adversity, and brings together generous supporters willing to take on 79 days of continuous activity to raise vital funds towards Spoons’ essential services for families experiencing neonatal care.
Every year Shaun commits to running every day for at least 20 minutes, from 30th November until 16th February. The 79 days represents the time spent in the hospital before their daughter could finally come home. Shaun hopes this support will help other families going through the challenges that his family faced – “Our struggle is over but for some families it is just beginning”.
The challenge has grown each year, creating a community of new friends, all with a common goal – to raise as much money as possible for neonatal care and support. It has been amazing to witness this team take on such a grueling challenge, offering such support and motivation to each other throughout. The challenge even saw the team members head out running on Christmas day!
We’re delighted to announce that this year’s team of 16 fundraising superstars have raised over £13,000 so far towards support for neonatal families in Greater Manchester! They have more than doubled their original target, which is incredible!
Talking about his motivation for the challenge, Shaun said:
Spoons offers support for parents during and after NICU. I’ve personally benefited from their services and have come out the other side forever stronger.
Founder of Spoons, Kirsten Mitchell, thanked the team:
We cannot thank you enough for raising such vital funds towards our services. Thank you Shaun and Lauren, for sharing your experience with others, helping to shine a light on the importance of family support. The way you’ve been able to tell your story whilst raising funds as a group, has been so powerful. From all of us at Spoons, thank you all!
To show your support for #Team79, head to their fundraising page here.
